Newcastle-Fulham Match Preview

Newcastle v Fulham, Premier League: May 16, 2009

Going into the penultimate weekend of the Premier League, this match looks to be (on paper at least) one of the most intriguing, as it pits two sides with much to play for.

Newcastle will be buoyed by their win over Middlesbrough earlier this week and could take a major step to securing their status in the "Promised Land" with a win in front of their relegation-haunted fans.

Meanwhile, Fulham are currently holders of seventh spot, which ensures participation in the Europa League next season.

Since the Toon’s win over Boro on Monday, there have been cautious words from the Newcastle camp. Alan Shearer said after the game that “there is still a long way to go” and midfielder Danny Guthrie backed this up, claiming the team "probably needs to win again.”

Such was their dire form prior to the win over their Northeast rivals. Still, the 3-1 win should have imbued the squad with the confidence to stay up, especially as their main relegation rivals, Hull, are unlikely to claim even a point from an away match at Bolton followed by a home game against Manchester United.

Shearer will be desperate for another win, and the Toon army will be baying for blood now that there is a chink of light at the end of the tunnel. The defense still looked a little shaky in the game against Middlesbrough, so midfield battlers Nicky Butt, Kevin Nolan, and Guthrie will have to play a high-octane game. If Mark Viduka can produce the form he did against his old club, the Fulham defense will have their hands full.

In the lead up to the match, we will no doubt hear reports of Shearer’s dilemma over whether to play his old pal Michael Owen. There is no doubt Newcastle looked much more threatening when the former Liverpool and Real Madrid striker was substituted, but Obafemi Martins’ groin injury is likely to see him start from the bench and perhaps make an impact later on.

Owen has looked pathetic in recent weeks (no goals in 11 games), and the pundits have been queuing up to question whether he loves the horses more than football. Some have even pondered whether he is the “type of striker” who can play in the modern game.

Nevertheless, one of the greatest goal scorers England has ever produced will surely have a say in Newcastle’s relegation battle and will be looking for a repeat of the corresponding fixture last season, in which he scored the second in a 2-0 win.

Note that Owen is 11/2 to score the first goal, 6-4 to score at any time, and 66/1 to claim a hat-trick.

Fulham come into this game in a rich vein of form. The Cottagers have impressed in the last eight games, claiming five wins, including a scalping of Manchester United and their first away wins of the season.

Roy Hodgson has furthered his reputation this season, as Fulham have been one of the best football-playing sides in the league and he has coped admirably with losing key players to injury such as Jimmy Bullard in January and Simon Davies in mid-April.

Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, alongside Brede Hangeland and Clint Dempsey, has been among the unsung players in the Premier League, and any of them could be the subject of transfer speculation this summer. Other players, like Dickson Etuhu and Diomansky Kamara, have come in later on in the season and fit in with the team ethic.

Kamara was excellent last week, scoring a brace against Villa, and the Newcastle management team are no doubt working out how to nullify Danny Murphy, who has been the key to Fulham’s short passing game in 2008-09.

Note that Kamara is 25/1 to score two or more, Murphy is 5/1 to score at any time.

The key may well be how much Fulham want this; there is little doubt that they struggle to perform well in Europe, and in the league next season, they won’t have the same desire as the home side. Newcastle though did not look so secure defensively against Boro, and there will be opportunities for the Cottagers to turn the relegation battle on its head once again.

101gg predicts: Newcastle 2, Fulham 1 (15/2)

Full match odds here